An  Historical  Sketch  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  State  of  North  Carolina 


SON.D.LEY  LIBARARY 
ASHEVILLE,  N.  C. 


AN  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


OF  THE  PROTESTANT  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH  IN  THE  STATE  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINA 


By 

Laura  Lindsay  Carter 


Asheville,  North  Carolina 
August  15,  1906 


THE  INLAND  PRESS,  ASHEVILLE, 


IN  this  present  year  of  our  Lord  1906,  the  Rt. 
Rev.  Joseph  Blount  Cheshire,  Bishop  of  North 
Carolina,  the  Rt.  Rev»  Robert  Strange,  Bishop 
of  East  Carolina,  and  the  Rt.  Rev.  Junius  M. 
Horner,  Bishop  of  Asheville,  issued  an  address  to  the 
Clergy  and  Laity  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  commemorative  of  the 
two  hundreth  anniversary  of  the  first  recorded  admin- 
istration of  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  which 
was  celebrated  in  the  then  colony,  now  State  of  North 
Carolina.  This  by  their  desire  was  read  aloud  in  the 
churches  throughout  the  State  on  Trinity  Sunday, 
June  23d.  We  find  the  evidence  in  Hawk's  History 
of  North  Carolina,  and  in  the  Colonial  Records. 
Gov.  Clover  in  a  letter  to  Henry  Compton,  Bishop  of 
London,  says:  "The  Revernd  Richard  Marsden, 
waiting  here  for  passage  to  South  Carolina,  thought 
it  convenient  to  administer  the  Sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  which  is  the  first  time  I  can  learn  of 
its  being  administered  in  this  poor  county  :  this  was 
done  on  Trinity  Sunday,  1706." 

The  church  history  of  our  beloved  State  dates, 
however,  much  further  back,  and  it  is  with  deep 
pleasure  and  pride  that  we  recall  the  fact  that  on  the 
shores  of  North  Carolina  was  celebrated  the  first  ser- 


3 


vice  of  the  Anglican  Church  held  in  what  now  consti- 
tutes the  territory  of  the  United  States. 

The  first  colony  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  landed  on 
Roanoak  Island  in  15S4.  Three  years  later,  August 
thirteenth,  Manteo,  the  Indian  chief  of  a  neighboring 
tribe,  the  first  convert,  was  baptized,  followed  a  few 
days  later  by  the  baptism  of  Virginia  Dare,  the  first 
white  child  born  in  America  of  English  parents. 

Although  the  fate  of  this  unfortunate  colony  is 
shrouded  in  mystery  the  seed  there  planted  and  appar- 
ently lost,  later  on  took  root  and  has  greatly  grown 
until  the  present,  when  within  the  borders  of  our 
State  we  have  the  Diocese  of  North  Carolina,  the 
Diocese  of  East  Carolina,  and  the  Missionary  District 
of  Asheville,  a  large  number  of  communicants,  much 
church  property,  a  growing  church  with  an  ever 
spreading  influence. 

In  1 701  the  Assembly  passed  an  Act  for  the 
maintenance  and  support  of  the  church,  but  it  came 
to  nothing.  The  first  church  building  of  which  we 
have  record  was  commenced  in  1702  and  stood  near 
the  present  town  of  Edenton.  It  was  small  and  prim- 
ative  and  has  long  since  disappeared.  In  the  same 
year  Dr.  Bray,  a  comissioner  of  the  Bishop  of  London, 
sent  the  first  minister  into  the  colony.  Dr.  Bret 
brought  with  him  a  collection  of  books,  which  pre- 
sented to  the  town  of  Bath,  constituted  the  first  public 
library  in  the  State.    He  himself  remained  only  a  few 

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months.  What  subsequently  became  of  his  books  is 
not  known. 

In  1704  the  ''Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,"  sent  a  missionary,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Blain,  and  others  from  time  to  time,  until 
in  1770  there  were  eighteen  clergy  in  the  colony. 

With  the  possible  exception  of  the  church  in 
Bath,  the  oldest  church  building  now  standing  is  St. 
Paul's  in  Edenton,  which  was  begun  in  May,  1736. 
In  this  day  of  modern  facilities  and  conveniencies  wre 
can  hardly  appreciate  the  difficulties  and  cost  of  con- 
structing so  substantial  a  building  in  that  far  off 
time. 

The  clergy  of  the  English  church  had  no  certain 
establishment  until  1765.  Each  incumbent  was  then 
annually  allowed  six  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  by  the 
province,  and  another  hundred  from  the  bounty  of 
the  London  Society  for  the  Propation  of  the  Gospel. 
They  were  in  addition  furnished  a  residence  and  two 
hundred  acres  of  glebe  lands.  Also  by  law  they  were 
allowed  fees  for  celebrating  marriages  and  preaching 
funeral  sermons.  They  were  all  appointed  by  the 
governors  for  the  different  parishes  and  were  fre- 
quently in  trouble  with  the  Baptists  and  Quakers  who 
resented  being  taxed  to  support  an  established  church 
with  which  they  were  not  in  sympathy.  There  were 
eight  regular  clergy  and  two  missionaries  in  the  pro- 
vince at  that  time. 


5 


The  war  of  the  Revolution  was  disastrous  in  the 
extreme  to  the  church.  The  clergy  were  in  most 
instances  loyal  to  the  crown  and  so  lost  influence  with 
their  people.  Churches  and  chapels  were  deserted 
and  much  property  fell  into  the  hands  of  others,  a 
part  of  which  has  never  been  restored. 

From  this  time  until  1790  the  church  was  almost 
extinct.  In^hat  ,year  at  the  suggestion  of  Bishop 
White  of  -TlT^rma  efforts  were  made  to  revive  it. 
Meetings  of  clergy  and  laity  were  held  in  Tarboro  in 
June  and  November,  1790,  in  November,  1793,  and 
in  May  i794«  At  this  last  meeting  six  clergymen 
(including  one  in  Lutheran  order)  and  a  small  num- 
ber of  prominent  laymen  were  present.  A  constitu- 
tion was  adopted,  Deputies  to  the  General  Conven- 
tion and  a  Standing  Committee  were  appointed,  and 
the  Rev.  Charles  Pettigrew  was  chosen  Bishop.  Mr. 
Pettigrew  set  out  to  attend  the  General  Convetion  of 
1795,  but  was  prevented  by  a  terrible  epidemic  of  yel- 
low fever  from  accomplishing  his  journey,  and  seems 
never  to  have  felt  able  to  undertake  the  work  after- 
wards. Thus  this  effort  to  organize  the  church 
failed. 

'•In  November,  1816,  the  Rev.  Bethel  Judd,  of 
Connecticut  and  the  Rev.  Adam  Empie  of  New  York 
.  .  met  in  Wilmington.  Finding  a  church  and  a  con- 
gregation they  began  to  officiate  regularly.  In  January 
the  Rev.  John  Curtis  Clay  became  rector  of  the 

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church  in  Newberne.  On  Easter  Sunday,  1817,  Mr. 
Judd  re-organized  a  church  in  Fayette  ville.  These 
three  clergymen,  with  delegates  from  their  several 
parishes,  and  with  one  laymen  from  the  church  in 
K  lenton,  met  in  Newberne  April  2nd,  18 19,  and 
organized  the  Diocese  of  North  Carolina,  requesting 
Bishop  Moore  of  Virginia  to  take  Episcopal  oversight 
thereof.  He  consented  to  do  so  and  in  1819,  1820, 
1821  and  1822,  made  brief  \  isits  to  the  chief  places 
in  the  Diocese,  and  presided  in  the  Annual  Conven- 
tion. In  1823  the  clergy  numbered  seven  and  the 
communicants  four  hundred  and  eighty.  The  Con- 
vention resolved  to  elect  a  Bishop." 

The  Rev.  Wm.  Green,  the  youngest  of  the  North 
Carolina  clergy^  afterwards  himself  Bishop  of  Mis- 
sissippi, placed  in  nomination  the  Rev.  John  Stark 
Ravenscrof,  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Ravenscroft  up  to  the 
age  of  forty-five  was  a  planter  in  his  native  State, 
had  been  ordained  Deacon  by  Bishop  Moore.  He 
was  personally  known  only  to  his  sponsor,  who, 
greatly  impressed  with  his  zeal  and  earnestness,  spoke 
so  eloquently  in  his  behalf,  that  he  was  unanimously 
elected  on  the  first  ballot,  April  12th,  1823,  and  on 
the  22nd  day  of  May  was  consecrated  the  first  Bishop 
of  North  Carolina.  In  his  own  words  "he  could  only 
assert  the  true  position  of  the  Church  and  strike  dis- 
may to  the  hearts  of  her  adversaries."  He  died  in 
the  seventh  year  of  his  service,  March  5th,  1830,  hav- 

7  # 


ing  doubled  the  number  of  clergy  and  of  communi- 
cants in  his  Diocese.  His  entire  ministry  from  his 
ordination  as  deacon  until  his  death  covered  a  period 
of  only  twelve  years.  He  died  leaving  a  memory 
"which  time  has  not  effaced." 

On  May  3ist,  1831,  the  Rev.  Levi  Silliman  Ives, 
of  New  York,  was  chosen  Bishop  and  consecrated  the 
22nd  of  the  following  September.  He  found  in  the 
Diocese  fifteen  clergy  and  eight  hundred  and  nine 
communicants.  During  the  early  years  of  his  minis- 
tration his  zeal  was  great,  most  especially  in  the  field 
of  missions.  His  attempt  to  establish  an  Episcopal 
school  for  boys  in  Raleigh  did  not  succeed,  but  out  of 
the  ashes  of  this  effort  sprang  St.  Mary's  school  for 
girls.  Bishop  Ives  meeting  accidentally,  on  the 
streets  of  New  York,  the  Rev.  Albert  Smeedes,  spoke 
to  him  of  his  desire  to  establish  a  church  school  for 
girls  and  suggested  that  Dr.  Smeedes  should  come 
South  and  undertake  the  work.  The  buildings  were 
ready,  but  no  further  assurance  of  support.  Dr. 
Smeedes  feeling  the  need  of  a  milder  climate  had 
resigned  from  his  former  parish  of  Schnectady.  He 
decided  at  once  to  follow  out  the  suggestion  of  Bishop 
Ives  and  came  to  Raleigh  almost  immediately.  Un- 
der his  fostering  care  and  able  guidance  St.  Mary's 
grew  rapidly.  Her  daughters  have  been  untiring  in 
their  interest  and  energy  and  have  been  active  church 
women  in   almost  every   state   in   the  Union.  Dr. 

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Smeedes,  after  carrying  his  school  successfully  through 
the  dreadful  days  of  the  civil  war,  died  in  1877,  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Rev.  Bennett  Smeedes,  as 
Rector  of  St.  Mary's.  During  the  winter  of  1889  and 
1S90,  Bishop  Garrett,  of  Texas,  wrote  to  the  Rev.  Ben- 
nett Smeedes  for  information  regarding  his  father's 
methods,  find  all  over  my  diocese  the  beginnings 
of  Sunday  Schools  and  churches,  the  work  of  St. 
Mary's  women,  and  am  determined  to  establish  a 
church  school  as  the  best  means  of  building  up  my 
diocese.  "Bishop  Garrett's  church  school  in  Texas  is 
therefore  the  direct  result  of  Dr.  Smeedes'  work  at 
St.  Mary's.  Bishop  Ives  also  establised  a  Mission 
School  at  Valla  Crucis.  It  was  very  largely  on  ac- 
count of  teachings  and  practices  said  to  prevail  there 
that  suspicions  of  his  faithfulness  to  the  church  arose 
all  over  the  diocese.  "After  several  years  of  doubt 
and  distress  to  the  diocese  and  painful  vacillation  on 
the  part  of  the  Bishop,  he  obtained  leave  of  absence 
and  six  months  salary  in  advance  in  September,  1852, 
for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  traveling  for  his  and  his 
wife's  health.  He  went  abroad  soon  after  and  on  the 
twenty-second  of  the  following  December  addressed 
a  letter  from  Rome  to  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese 
announcing  his  abandonment  of  the  church  and  his 
intended  submission  to  the  Pope  of  Rome." 

Bishop  Ives  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Atkinson,  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  Baltimore,  chosen 

9 


May  28th,  1853,  consecrated  on  the  iSth  of  Octo- 
ber of  the  same  year.  Almost  immediately  he  won 
the  love  and  confidence  of  his  people  and  so  prevented 
any  unfortunate  consequences  which  might  have  fol- 
lowed the  defection  of  Bishop  Ives. 

The  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  in  1861,  made  re- 
organization of  the  Churches  in  the  Confederate 
States  necessary.  Bishop  Atkinson  and  his  clergy 
were  very  active  in  their  efforts  on  behalf  of  the  army 
and  those  left  at  home.  Many  of  the  clergy  became 
chaplains  of  regiments.  The  Bishops  and  others  who 
remained  at  home  giving  a  part  of  their  time  to  min- 
istrations to  the  soldiers  in  camp  and  hospitals. 
Bishop  Atkinson's  true  greatness  of  soul  was  shown 
in  the  disastrous  years  which  followed  the  overthrow 
of  the  Confederacy.  He,  with  his  full  delegation  of 
clergy  and  laity  and  his  nephew,  Bishop  Lay,  of 
Easton  then  missionary  bishop  of  Arkansas,  attended 
the  General  Council  in  1865,  on  which  occasion  North 
Carolina  was  the  only  Southern  State  represented. 
He  met  the  delicate  issues  there  presented,  with  such 
true  wisdom,  gentleness  and  firmness  that  the  imme- 
diate reunion  of  the  Southern  and  Northern  dioceses 
was  effected.  The  presence  of  Bishop  Atkinson  and 
his  delegation  made  the  terms  of  reunion  not  only  so 
fair,  but  also  so  courteous,  that  the  Southern  Dioceses 
could  not  but  return. 


10 


The  position  of  the  colored  clergy  and  laity  in 
North  Carolina  is  also  directly  due  to  Bishop  Atkin- 
son. Since  1865  there  has  been  no  distinction  made 
in  the  church  between  the  white  and  colored  minis- 
ters. In  1867  St.  Augustine's  Normal  and  Collegiate 
Institute,  for  the  education  of  the  colored  race,  was 
begun  in  Raleigh,  largely  through  the  efforts  of  the 
Rev.  J.  Brinton  Smith,  its  founder.  A  Theological 
Department  has  since  been  added. 

Bishop  Atkinson  founded  in  Asheville  the  Rav- 
enscroft  Mission  and  Training  School  for  the  purpose 
of  spreading  the  church  among  the  mountaineers  and 
the  training  of  candidates  for  orders.  Though  the 
school  has  not  been  continued,  a  number  of  clergy  now 
in  orders,  begun  their  training  there  and  the  property 
then  acquired  through  the  generosity  of  a  few  citizens 
of  Asheville,  is  still  owned  by  the  church  and  used  for 
Church  purposes.  The  possession  of  this  property 
was  a  contributory  cause  of  the  erection  of  the  Mis- 
sionary District  of  Asheville. 

Soon  after  the  war,  Bishop  Atkinson  finding  his 
field  too  extensive  for  the  labors  of  one  man,  sug- 
gested the  division  of  the  Diocese  or  that  he  be  given 
an  assistant.  The  Rev.  Theodore  Benedict  Lyman, 
of  San  Fransisco,  Cal.,  was  elected  Bishop  Coadjutor 
and  was  consecrated  Dec.  nth,  1883. 

Bishop  Atkinson  passed  to  his  eternal  rest  Jan. 
4th,   1881,  greatly  beloved  and  deeply  mourned  by 

11 


the  people  whose  wise  councellor.  sure  guide  and  de- 
voted friend  he  had  been  in  their  days  of  darkness, 
trouble  and  adversity.  So  profound  was  the  impres- 
sion made  on  all  classes,  sects  and  creeds  of  the  State 
that  at  the  time  of  his  death  and  for  many  years  pre- 
vious thereto,  he  was  recognized  as  one  of,  and  the 
equal  to  that  triumvirate  of  great  men,  who  so  nobly 
and  successfully  guided  North  Carolina  through  the 
most  trying  epoch  of  her  history — Atkinson,  Graham 
and  Vance. 

Upon  the  death  of  Bishop  Atkinson,  Bishop  Ly- 
man succeeded  him  as  full  Bishop  of  the  Diocese. 
Born  at  Brigton,  near  B  oston,  Mass.,  a  graduate  of 
the  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York,  in  1840,  his 
first  charge  was  at  Hagerstown,  Ind.  In  1865  he 
was  appointed  chaplain  of  the  American  Legation  in 
Rome.  With  the  assistance  of  the  Minister,  Mr. 
Marsh,  he  held  the  first  services  of  the  Angelican 
Church  which  were  allowed  within  the  wall  of  the  Pa- 
pal City.  Beginning  in  a  hall  of  the  legation,  the  con- 
gregation grew  with  such  rapity  that  it  was  twice  ne- 
cessaryto  seek  larger  quarters.  This  attracted  the  atten- 
tention  of  the  Roman  church.  Cardinal  Antenelli  was 
sent  to  Mr.  Lyman  to  say  that  his  services  must  be  dis- 
continued. Mr.  Lyman  succeeded  inobtaining  an  inter- 
view with  the  Pope  and  was  granted  permission  to 
carry  on  his  work.  Thus  organizing  what  is  now  St. 
Paul's  Church,  Rome.    "He  declined  the  deanery  of 

12 


General  Theological  Seminary,  New  York  City,  to 
which  office  he  was  elected  during  his  residence  in 
Europe.  He  was  called  to  Trinity  Parish,  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  where  he  remained  until  appointed  Bishop 
Coadjutor  of  North  Carolina. 

The  movement  for  division,  begun  in  1S67  by 
Bishop  Atkinson,  was  never  allowed  to  altogether 
drop.  In  the  Convention  of  1883  it  was  carried 
by  a  large  majority.  The  General  Convention 
erected  the  new  Diocese  of  Eastern  Carolina,  com- 
prising the  counties  of  Hertford,  Bertie,  Martin,  Pitt, 
Greene,  Wayne,  Sampson,  Cumberland,  and  Robert- 
son, with  all  that  portion  of  the  State  lying  between 
the  said  counties  and  the  Atlantic  ocean.  The  Rev. 
A.  A.  Watson,  D.  I).,  rector  of  St.  James'  Parish, 
Wilmington,  was  elected  the  first  Bishop,  and  was  con- 
secrated April  17th,  1884.  "Bishop  Watson  was  born 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  Aug.  21st,  1818,  Graduated 
at  the  University  of  New  York  in  1837.  Studied  law 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1841 .  After  a  year's  suc- 
cessful effort  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  sacred  Min- 
istry, and  was  admitted  to  the  deaconate  in  St.  Ann's 
Church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  3rd,  1S44,  by  Bishop 
Onderdonk.  Ordained  to  the  priesthood  by  Bishop 
Ives,  in  St.  John's,  Fayetteville,  N.  C.  The  first  four- 
teen years  of  his  ministry  were  spent  at  Grace  Chrch, 
Plymouth,  and  St.  Luke's,  Washington,  N.  C.  In 
1883  he  became   rector  of  Christ   Church,  Newbern. 

13 


At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  became  chap- 
lain to  the  2nd  Regiment  of  State  troops.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  Bishop 
Atkinson,  then  the  rector  of  St.  James'  Church,  Wil- 
mington. In  1864  he  succeeded  to  the  rectorship  and 
continued  in  this  post  until  elected  to  the  episcopate. 
He  recived  the  doctorate  in  divinity  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  North  Carolina  in  1868.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  standing  committee  of  the  diocese  and  a  deputy  to 
the  General  Convention  for  many  years.  He  was  con- 
secrated in  his  parish  church  at  Wilmington,  April  17, 
1S84.  Bishop  Watson  was  a  well  read  theologian,  a 
scholar  of  rare  ability,  probably  the  most  accomplished 
and  capable  canonist  in  the  Church,  and  a  man  of  the 
highest  culture.  •  He  was  at  once  revered  and  beloved, 
and  his  administration  was  attended  with  a  marked 
development  of  the  spiritualities  and  temporalities  of 
the  Church  under  his  care." 

The  new  diocese  took  from  North  Carolina  21 
clergy  and  2809  communicants.  Leaving  to  North 
Carolina  55  clergy,  inclding  the  Bishop,  and  3080 
communicants. 

In  1886  Bishop  Lyman  was  appointed  to  the  care 
and  jurisdiction  of  the  American  Episcopal  Churches 
in  Europe.  In  the  same  year  the  Reverend  E.  A. 
Osborne  obtained  permission  of  the  Bishop  to  under- 
take the  establishment  of  an  orphanage  in  the  Dio- 
cese.    Some  years  before  the  Reverend  Benjamin  S. 

14 


Bronson,  for  many  years  rector  of  St.  Perters,  Char- 
lotte, had  purchased  a  farm  of  about  eighty  acres  in 
the  neighborhood  of  that  city,  hoping  to  establish  a 
boys'  school.  The  greater  part  of  the  money  used  for 
the  purchase  was  given  by  the  widow  and  family  of 
the  late  Lewis  Thompson  of  Bertie  county.  The 
school  was  given  up  after  a  few  years.  Mr.  Bronson, 
who  had  charge  of  the  property,  agreed  to  transfer  it 
to  the  church  for  an  orphanage,  to  be  called  the 
Thompson  Orphanage,  provided  Mr.  Osborne  would 
take  charge  as  superintendent,  The  formal  opening 
took  place  May  ioth,  1887,  with  ten  little  children. 
The  work  is  supported  by  Guilds  in  the  several  con- 
gregations, by  individual  offerings,  and  by  collections 
in  the  churches  throughout  the  State  on  Thanksgiving 
Day.  It  has  grown  rapidly,  the  buildings  have 
been  enlarged,  and  their  number  increased  until  now 
about  seventy  children  are  provided  for.  The  dining 
hall  and  dormitories,  costing  something  over  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars,  were  built  as  a  memorial  to 
Bishop  Atknison.  The  funds  for  this  addition  were 
procured  through  the  effort  of  Miss  Rebecca  Cameron 
of  Hillsboro,  and  the  children  of  the  State  as  "Mes- 
sengers of  Hope."  Two  other  memorials  have  been 
added,  Bronson  Hall,  built  with  current  funds  and  a 
few  generous  individual  donations,  and  the  beautiful 
chapel  of  St.  Mary  the  Virgin,  the  generous  gift  of 
Judge  W.  P.  Bynum,    a  memorial  to  his  wife  and 

15 


daughter.  In  May.  1898,  Mr.  Osborne  resigned  the 
Superintendency  of  the  Orphanage  and  was  succeeded 
by  Reverend  Walter  J.  Smith,  who  is  still  in  charge. 

"The  institution  is  doing  a  great  work.  It  has 
trained  quite  a  number  of  highly  respectable  men  and 
women,  whose  happy  and  useful  lives  bear  witness  to 
the  value  of  the  work  and  to  their  appreciation  of  what 
has  been  done  for  them." 

In  the  spring  of  1892,  St. Mary's  School  celebrated 
her  semi-centennial.  The  alumni  gathered  from  far 
and  wide.  Bishop  Lyman,  assisted  by  Dr.  Smeedes, 
Dr.  Marshall,  rector  of  Christ  Church,  and  other 
clergy,  officiated  at  the  solemn  services  held  in  Christ 
Church,  Raleigh,  as  the  beautiful  chapel  belonging  to 
the  school  was  too  small  to  seat  the  many  interested 
participants. 

Bishop  Lyman  died  Dec.  nth,  1893,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-eight  years.  The  Diocese  had  grown 
greatly  under  his  administration.  He  consecrated 
about  forty  churches.  The  Convention  met  in  Ral- 
eigh June  27th,  1893.  The  Rev.  Joseph  Blount 
Cheshire,  Jr.,  rector  of  St.  Peter's,  Charlotte,  was 
elected  to  succeed  Bishop  Lyman  and  was  consecrated 
Oct.  15th,  1893. 

Bishop  Cheshire  is  a  North  Carolinian  by  birth 
and  descent,  tracing  his  ancestors  in  the  State  to  the 
earliest  colonial  days.  He  is  deeply  learned  in  the  the- 
ological and  secular  history  of  the  State,  and  is  the 

16 


author  of  a  number  of  extremely  interesting  and  val- 
uable historical  sketches.  During  the  term  of  his 
Bishopric,  St.  Mary's  has  become  the  property  of  the 
Church.  Dr.  Smeedes,  deciding  that  he  could  no  longer 
carry  the  diocese's  financial  burden  of  the  school,  the 
three  dioceses  of  North  Carolina,  and  the  church  in 
South  Carolina,  determined  to  buy  the  property  and 
continue  the  work.  By  act  of  the  Legislature,  March 
2nd,  1897,  the  school  was  incorporated.  It  was  re- 
ported at  the  last  Convention  that  through  means  of 
persistance  and  untiring  effort,  the  final  payment  had 
been  made.  The  property  is  now  owned  exclusively 
by  the  Church.  Dr.  Smeedes  died  Feb.  22nd,  1899^ 
and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Bratton  of  Spartanburg, 
S.  C,  now  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Mississippi.  He 
in  turn  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  McNeely  Du- 
Bose,  rector  of  Trinity  Parish,  Asheville.  Rev.  Mr. 
DuBose  still  has  this  work  in  charge,  and  under  his 
efficient  administration  the  school  has  greatly  grown 
in  numbers  and  equipment. 

In  October,  1895,  the  General  Convention  erected 
the  Missionary  Jurisdiction  of  Asheville,  dividing 
the  State  of  North  Carolina  for  the  second  time.  The 
first  Convention  was  held  in  Trinity  Parish,  Ashe- 
ville, Nov.  12th  and  13th,  1895.  The  Jurisdiction 
which  by  act  of  the  General  Convention,  shortly  after 
changed  its  name,  and  is  now  calledthe  Missionary  Dis- 
trict of  Asheville.     It  consists  of  the  counties  of  Alle- 


17 


ghany,  Wilkes,  Alexander,  Catawba,  Lincoln,  Gaston 
and  all  that  portion  of  the  State  lying  west  of  these 
and  at  the  time  of  division  contained  twenty-two 
clergy,  about  fifteen  hundred  communicants  and  fifty- 
four  congregations.  Bishop  Cheshire  was  requested 
to  continue  his  episcopal  oversight  thereof  with  the 
title  of  "Bishop  of  North  Carolina  in  charge  of  Ashe* 
ville."  Three  years  later  the  Rev.  Junius  Moore 
Horner,  associate  Principal  of  Horner's  School,  Ox- 
ford, North  Carolina,  a  graduate  of  Johns  Hopkins 
University,  and  of  the  General  Theological  Seminary, 
in  New  York,  was  chosen  Bishop  of  the  District  and 
was  Consecrated  on  Holy  Innocents  Day,  Dec.  28th, 
1898,  in  Trinity  Church,  Asheville. 

In  1904,  on  account  of  the  increasing  feebleness 
of  Bishop  Watson,  it  was  consider  advisable  by  the 
Convention  of  East  Carolina  to  appoint  an  assistant. 
The  choice  fell  upon  the  Rev.  Robert  Strange,  at  that 
time  Rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Richmond.  He 
was  consecrated  on  All  Saints'  Day,  Nov.  1st,  1904. 
Bishop  Watson  died  April  21st,  1905,  at  the  age  86 
years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Bishop  Strange,  as  Bishop 
of  the  Diocese  of  East  Carolina. 

A  graduate  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  his  first 
charge  was  the  Church  of  the  Good  Shepard,  Raleigh, 
He  was  called  to  St.  James',  Wilmington,  and  from 
there  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  Richmond.  Born  in  Wil- 
mington, the  important  events  of  his  life  have  been 

18 


connected  with  St.  James  Church.  He  was  baptized, 
confirmed,  ordained  and  consecrated  there,  which,  as 
Wilmington  is  the  Episcopal  City  of  the  Diocese, 
gives  him  a  peculiar  nearness  to  his  people. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Convention  of  North 
Carolina  tho  Diocese  was  reported  to  contain  54 
elergy,  5462  communicants  and   101  congregations. 

The  Diocese  of  East  Carolina,  as  last  reported 
had  28  clergy,  4228  communicants  and  73  congrega- 
tions. 

The  Missionary  District  of  Asheville  reports  30 
clergy,  2438  communicants  and  76  congregations. 


19 


